In vivo mechanical loading: Mechanical Protection of Pathological Collagen Synthesis
The primary goal of this work is to understand how mechanical loading affects bone and to investigate if loading can be used to prevent and treat pathology. We use a model of moderate exerice (running) or the direct application of loading to a limb (targeted tibial loading). For tibial loading, strain gauges are applied ex vivo to the tibia to determine the relationship between applied load and the strain engendered in the bone. This process is used to generate a strain calibraiton for each study. Mice are then placed under isoflurane-induced anesthesia and loaded for approximately 5 minutes a day.
